“The guy’s just gotta stop being dumb, man,” former Cowboys defensive lineman Marcus Spears said recently on 103.3 FM in Dallas, via the Dallas Morning News. “That’s really what it boils down to. And I’m not going to speak on it like I know all of the particulars but I saw it and I don’t understand it. I was talking to my wife last night about it. With all of the social media, all of the media coverage that we give because we have to and we have to talk about these things, you would think that these guys would have in their minds and they would understand that I have things that I can’t do. And not as a football player but just as a human. At the end of the day, the eye of the world is on Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott because of the success that they had. They not only have the eye of the world but they play for the Dallas Cowboys, who are always in the eye of public.”

Spears, a first-round pick in 2005 who spent eight years with the team, raised a great point regarding whether the training players receive as they enter the league is working.

“When you see stuff like that, you just sit back and ask yourself what part of the message that the seminars and the speakers and the daily talks and the news coverage and the social media world doesn’t stick?” Spears said. “Because guys are still out here doing things that are crazy in my mind. So I hate to be judgmental but the most important thing for Zeke is to continue to mature. . . . [T]he decisions that they’re making at 21, 22 years old while they’re playing in the league, while everybody is kissing their butt and telling them how great they are will have a profound impact on them moving forward when they’re done playing football. Once you leave the field, people have a tendency to forget about you and all they do is remember the bad things.”

Spears’ advice for Elliott?

“I think Zeke just needs to lay low,” Spears said. “Have fun, man, have fun. He’s young. But do it in the right way and the respectable manner. At the end of the day no one can fault you for trying to enjoy the hard work and the labor that you put in to put yourself in this position. But you also have a responsibility to not only yourself but your family to take care of business the right way and not get involved in stupidity.”

That advice applies to all young NFL players, but specifically to Elliott. Even if he’s been told that the league won’t be taking action against him as a result of last year’s domestic violence accusations, there’s a perception problem enveloping Elliott, and the image of him pulling down a woman’s top won’t help improve that.

73 responses to “Marcus Spears: Ezekiel Elliott has to “stop being dumb, man””

Seminars and speeches won’t fix maturity. You give kids a certain amount of leeway on that front, but he has to know when he’s straddling that line as he gets older. Impulsive behavior like grabbing at the young lady’s top is disturbing because then you wonder what else he just “can’t help himself” with when he’s not in public. But that’s something he’s going to have to figure out.

Whether players agree to it or not, they are representatives of their craft, team and league at all times. Both on the field and off. That comes with the salaries they demand and are paid. All players should denounce such actions every time they are in front of a mic.
While you can’t say this is a pattern yet, Elliott was alleged to have committed domestic violence, now we see first hand he has zero concern or pause for pulling a woman’s shirt down to expose her chest.
One more event/claim and there will be a clear pattern in respect to Elliott’s respect for women.

Can’t lay low when every corner there is some schmuck with a phone camera attempting to become famous off of you. This country is obsessed with celebrity, but more obsessed to see people in higher positions fail. I’ll be on board with scrutinizing and downgrading this young man when the judges, presidents and lawmakers are held to the same level of discretion.

His sense of entitlement is going to be his downfall. So far he has never faced consequences for his actions so why change? If the average guy did what he has, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t keep getting free passes.

I just laugh when I read this. Who are we trying to fool. All that stuff came out about how Trump was treating women before the election, and I think it actually helped him in the polls. It certainly didn’t hurt. Your average American doesn’t really care too much about this stuff. So why should Elliott be held to a different standard? That’s just hypocritical. The woman in the video didn’t seem too bothered. Lots of women voted for Trump. I think America has spoken loud and clear.

He needs to be in the spotlight at all times.
Disrespecting Urban Meyers
Domestic violence charge
Childish feed me act
Jumping into the kettle
Pulling top down on somebody’s daughter
He’s not going to stop, no matter who calls him out.
Side show Zeke.

cardinealsfan20 says:
Mar 19, 2017 2:08 PM
The only people who have a perception problem are people who care what others think about them
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He should care what other people think especially if he is going to run around pulling that sort of stunt. That could be the difference between registering as an offender, or not having charges pressed depending to whom, and where that occurs.

I wish folks everywhere would PLEASE stop calling bad DECISIONS, mistakes! Accidentally leaving the patio door open overnight is a mistake. Grabbing a woman’s top to expose her breast is a DECISION and NOT a mistake. Ezekiel Elliott made a DECISION to grab the young woman’s top. Younger folks tend to make bad decisions more often than more mature folks; it’s part of the maturation process. When you have fame and money, I don’t see why the desire to protect your bank account doesn’t outweigh one’s desire to be edgy. When you have money (famous or not), there are charlatans waiting to separate you from it with frivolous lawsuits. The company you keep can also open you up to frivolous lawsuits.

How many times in the past has social media footage and words been use as evidence against the same IDIOT(S) that uploaded it? Elliott and EVERY young person needs to stop being impulsive and remember their actions could cost them more than money.

Recording devices and social media are ubiquitous. People in the public eye should always assume they are under scrutiny and either on camera or the mic is live. This isn’t the 60s, 70s, 80s, or even the early 90s.

Elliott has talent as has a great future in front of him. The only one who can mess it up is Elliott himself. Take Spears’ advice….lay low and just play football. Stay out of trouble and worry about winning football games and maybe a championship. The rest will take care of itself.

nhpats says:
Mar 19, 2017 7:05 PM
Oh, thank the football Gods every day that you are not wasting away on a miserable team with no chance of winning a championship….like the Vikings, Bills, Jets or Colts.

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This is exactly why Pats fans are a joke and you are the king of the bandwagon . Jets and Colts have won Super Bowls.

I dont understand how this is an indication the NFLs seminars are unsuccessful.

This is beyond that. This is how he was raised. He does not respect women. Thats an obvious character flaw that goes beyond him being “stupid”. He lacks class. Theres plenty of retards that dont sexually assault women.

I think what no one is realizing, that are inexplicably rationalizing this morons behavior, Zeke is a role model for children. I know that is a sad reflection on where our society is these days. However an impressionable 8 year old with his fat-head poster is looking at what Zeke is doing and getting away with and thinking that is the coarse to take in order to be successful today. And unfortunately except for the very small percentage of people who get the privilege of playing professional sports for a living the majority of people do not, and decisions like this should have ramifications weather the act was agreed upon by both parties or not. It is still a bad message to put out in public that at best case you are committing an act of lewdness at worst its sexual assault, and both are illegal.

@mackcarrington – What I have a problem with is people like you who express fake outrage about a woman’s clothes being pulled off in public. It’s a little hypocritical to act all high and mighty about a player’s actions while simultaneously enjoying NFL cheerleaders gyrating and logging onto those “special sites” you enjoy.

To me, it’s about the Cowboys culture. You can go back to cocaine Hollywood or the 90’s with Irvin. The transactions the Cowboys make have little regard for social issues. They are truely not “America’s” team. If you can help them win they have a home for you. I say they use a 4th on Mixon and then JJ has his daughter do the PR again about 2nd chances.

@eatme2259 – You claimed that there was no report stating that the young lady partied with Elliott after the incident. Obviously there was such a report. Thus, you were incorrect. Also, it’s fairly easy to assume that if the young lady is hanging out with Elliott she either received or didn’t require an apology.

@mackcarrington – You’re demanding an apology for something that didn’t effect you, sounds like fake outrage to me. If you enjoy NFL cheerleaders gyrating you’re supporting the exploitation of those women. Feel free to explain how you reconcile that with your Elliott opinion.